thenhlfandomcom-20200215-history
Tom Lysiak
| birth_place = High Prairie, Alberta, Canada | draft = 2nd overall | draft_year = 1973 | draft_team = Atlanta Flames | wha_draft = 23rd overall | wha_draft_year = 1973 | wha_draft_team = Houston Aeros | career_start = 1973 | career_end = 1986 }} Tom Lysiak (born Thomas James Lysiak on April 22, 1953) is a former professional Polish Canadian ice hockey player. He was selected as the second overall pick in round 1 of the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft by the Atlanta Flames and was selected by the Houston Aeros in round 2 of the 1973 WHA Amateur Draft (23rd overall). In each of his last two seasons at Medicine Hat, Tom was awarded the Bob Clarke Trophy as the Western Canada Hockey League's leading scorer (with a total of 297 points in 135 games). Playing Career Tom joined the Flames for the 1973–74 NHL season, just the second year for the franchise, and scored a team-high 64 points. He helped the team to its first playoff berth and finished second in the voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy (top rookie). He led the Flames in scoring in each of his five full seasons with the team and represented the Flames in three consecutive NHL All-Star Games (1975, 1976, 1977). Tom served as the Flames' team captain during the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons, but was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in an unpopular multiplayer deal (eight players were involved, the largest number in NHL history at the time) midway through the 1978–79 season. He is the Atlanta Flames' all-time leader for assists with 276 and points with 431 and ranks second in goals with 155. He had 21 two-goal games with the Flames and one Hat-trick. Tom played seven full seasons for Chicago and in the 1980–81 season, he led the team in scoring with 76 points, including a career-high 55 assists. The next season (1981–82), he matched his top point-scoring season in Atlanta with 82 points and scored a career-high 32 goals. On October 30, 1983, while a member of the Chicago Blackhawks, Tom tripped linesman Ron Foyt during a game against the Hartford Whalers. For the incident, the NHL imposed a 20-game suspension, one of the longest in league history. Career Statistics Personal Life Since his retirement, Tom has worked in the landscaping, real estate and construction industries in the Atlanta area. In 2012, he was inducted into the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. His daughter, Jessica Lee "Jessie" Lysiak, finished in the top 3 on Season 4 of the US version of MasterChef and is married to San Jose Sharks defenseman Justin Braun. After his retirement, Lysiak worked in the landscaping, real estate and construction industries in the Atlanta area. On May 30, 2016, Lysiak died of leukemia in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 63 (three years after he had been diagnosed with the disease in May of 2013). Category:1958 births Category:Houston Aeros draft picks Category:Atlanta Flames players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:Canadian ice hockey players Category:Atlanta Flames draft picks